Module 4: Water Usage And It’s Journey Through My Town

1A.

I am from a fairly large township about 15 miles outside of Manhattan: Wayne, New Jersey. After contacting the Division of Water and Sewer I was able to learn the following: the township operates approximately 260 miles of water mains, 6 water pumping stations, 5 large water storage tank, and the average daily use is 6.5 million gallons per day. After researching the latest residential population of the town, this equates to roughly 118 gallons per day per resident. All of the water supply comes from the Wanaque South Water Supply Project. Water first travels from the North Jersey Commision’s Wanaque Reservoir through the Oradell Aqueduct to the Oradell Reservoir. Water is then pumped from the reservoirs to Wayne. The water can also be pumped from the Passaic and Pompton Rivers through the Wanaque South Pump Station. The water, upon being used by residents and entering drains, travels through 240 miles of sanitary sewer mains being sent to the Mountain View Wastewater Treatment Facility on Dey Road where it is then treated to prevent water solution.

1B.

1 Shower                                   50 Gallons of Water                                                          5 Toilet Flushes                           8 Gallons of Water                                                            2 Teeth Brushes                      <1 Gallon of Water                                                      Drinking                                    .5 Gallons of Water                                                 Washing Dishes                         6 Gallons of Water                                                  Shaving                                     1 Gallon of Water                                                              2 Hand Washings                      2 Gallons of Water

Total Water Usage = 68 Gallons of Water

With two gallons, I would use water for the following: 1/2 gallon for bathing, giving myself a sponge bath to use as little as possible. 1/2 gallon for drinking because my health is my priority. 1/2 gallon for washing dishes, using a sponge to dip into the water to not overuse. The remaining half gallon would be spent for anything else I may need water for such as brushing teeth or hands. To save water, I could use Purell to clean my hands instead of washing them. I could also brush my teeth without wetting my toothbrush first. I would also use the outdoors as a bathroom so I did not have to flush any toilets. I would also forgo shaving because it is not of much importance. This would succeed, though you would be living in a primitive state and would be looking to substitute or sacrifice certain hygienic actions (though many before me have done the same and survived). The difference between this and my normal water usage is the fact I am using the bare minimum to accomplish the goal versus what provides me with a comfortable means of accomplishing the goal (ex. sponge bath vs. showering). Geography certainly matters to water use. Some are limited strictly because there is no access or supply of water, such as streams, rivers, water reserves etc. as may be the case in deserts. Some areas may also have salt water, but not fresh water which may limit its use.

 

2 thoughts on “Module 4: Water Usage And It’s Journey Through My Town

  1. Hi Rob. My names J.R.
    Here’s a link to my blog if you want to check it out
    http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/02/10/module-4-water-tracking-and-usage/

    I found your article very interesting because I have not went camping for a while and it was cool to read all the techniques that you would use. I agree that if I was in the wild like that, I would ration out the water and your use of separate buckets for different activities is a great idea.Also having the sponge so you can soak up a little water at a time would be very helpful. I’m glad that you put this camping spin on it because it was fun to read. One thing that concerned me about your blog was when you wrote about your daily usage. You put five toilet flushes, but only two hand washings. Hope you wash your hands more than that!

    Great Job with the blog.

  2. Hi Rob,

    My name is Laurene. I enjoyed reading your thoughts on water usage, especially in the wilderness. I am impressed by how little water you used compared to my daily used of 107.5 gallons. Through traveling and hiking, I learned how important it is to conserve water in the wilderness too. It is a lot easier when you do not have the tap readily available! I encourage you to try it wherever you live now. It is complicated to condition your body not to turn on the spigot and to move faster while the water is running. I kept in mind that one minute is equal to about four gallons.

    You can check out my water usage and experiment below.
    http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/02/09/where-my-water-comes-from-and-how-much-i-use/

    I hope to see more of your post this semester. Good luck! .

    Laurene

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